The present invention relates to a novel soft contact lens device used for the insertion and removal of the same.
Contact lenses can be made to correct most visual conditions correctable by regular eyeglasses. Moreover, contact lenses are not readily visible and provide the user with a wider field of vision than eyeglasses do. Participation in active sports does not prevent the use of contact lenses since they do not easily break.
The first contact lenses were of the "hard" variety, that is to say, they are molded of a relatively rigid material, usually methylmethacrylate, and formed by heat and pressure to the exact shape of the wearer's eye. The user must learn to wear them over a period of time. Many persons have experienced difficulty in wearing hard contact lenses.
A recent innovation has been the "soft" contact lens constructed of flexible and liquid absorbent material such as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Although very comfortable to wear, the soft contact lens encounters a number of problems, including the difficulty of insertion and removal, especially in elderly persons, and susceptibility to contamination. A device to minimize touching of the soft contact lens with the human hand and assist in its insertion and removal is needed.